Of Sleep and Charm Smiles
by musicnlyrics
Summary: An unfortunate occurrence brings Booth, Parker, and Bones closer together.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Bones, except a copy of the Season 4 DVDs. Although, I did contemplate buying one of the books that inspired the show...**

Seeley Booth didn't know what to do. The police had been called, a claim had been filed, and now there was nothing left to do but repair the damage. Booth was a man of action, and sitting around, waiting for someone else to fix this wasn't something he was keen to do. However, he had no choice but to accept it as reality: he could do nothing but be there for Bones. _His _Bones.

Yesterday, everything had been fine. A rewarding Friday at the office: the murder of a 19 year old male solved, and the bad guy (or in this case, a jealous ex-boyfriend (which caused Booth to shake his head, however judgmental he knew it to be)) put away. A celebratory dessert at the diner, since drinks at the Founding Fathers was currently out. A quick trip back to Bones' apartment, and a reluctant goodbye. Booth had Parker for the weekend, and both had agreed that when Parker was there, the partners would not stay together through the night.

Everything had been fine. Nothing had been amiss, everything in its rightful place. The modest (but still rather large) TV Bones had caved and gotten for both Booth's and Parker's benefit hung on the wall, the recently acquired DVD player on the entertainment set Booth had convinced Bones to get sat, somewhat dusty, but ready to be used. The stereo system Bones had always had stood next to the player, and memories of dancing to _Hot Blooded _flew through both partners' heads, sending small smiles onto their faces. The upscale digital camera Angela and Hodgins had gotten Bones for Christmas sat on the coffee table, having been looked through after a day at the park with Booth's son several weeks before, waiting to be moved. Everything where it was.

The next morning, a Saturday, Booth was fully anticipating a nice little sleep-in, before having breakfast with his kid, then spending a few hours in the heated pool that Brennan's apartment offered. What Booth did not anticipate was a phone call at 9:30 in the morning, the voice on the other line, a harried and somewhat nervous-sounding Bones, telling Booth one of the things he most feared: her apartment had been broken into.

Springing into action, Booth leapt from the bed, leaving the sheets tangled from where he had almost desperately fought them after untwisting them from his legs, and started pulling on clothes. A simple outfit of jeans and a faded T-shirt, to the unobservant eye, nothing would be amiss. But to those who dared close range to the FBI agent - former Army Ranger, a small stain would be noticeable on the chest, revealing that Booth had thrown on the first thing he saw, uncaring that the shirt was dirty.

Fifteen minutes, a sleepy-eyed Parker, and his car keys later, Booth was in his SUV, Parker in the back seat, zipping through Saturday morning traffic, hurriedly reaching Bones' apartment building. Mindful of the young legs of his son, Booth impatiently waited for the elevator to take him to the second floor. Waiting went against his instinct to get to Bones as quickly as possible, but Booth knew he had to remember Parker. Freaking Parker out would _not_ help matters.

Finally, the elevator arrived at Bones' floor, and the Booth boys sped down the hallway to Bones' front door. Booth's trained sniper senses immediately set off when he saw that the front door was ajar - Bones would never leave her front door open, much less unlocked and unchained.

Knocking quietly on the door, so as not to startle a possibly frightened Bones, Booth's emotions skyrocketed when he saw the apartment he had been in less than twenty-four hours earlier.

The sliding glass door stood open, lock obviously broken, and the wheels popped off the tracks, the curtains shoved to one side . There were several sets of muddy footprints on the wooden floor, leading directly from the doorway to the entertainment set, which now held nothing from the night before. The TV, the DVD player, and the stereo were all missing. Nothing, not even the remotes, was left. The only thing to suggest that they had been there in the first place was a small layer of dust that revealed where each item had been positioned. Booth had to give an irate chuckle after seeing that the digital camera hadn't even been touched. After moving on from the blatantly missing items, and the state of the balcony doors, Booth scanned the apartment, his years of experience trumping anything else. Finding nothing else out of place, Booth realized that his partner, and his son, were not in the room with him.

So focused he was on assessing the crime scene (Booth hated to think of Bones' apartment as a crime scene, but it was obvious that that was what it now was), he hadn't noticed Parker moving passed him to the open bedroom door. Now, moving away from the front door, as it was apparent that there was no residing threat, Booth made his way to Bones' bedroom down the hall. Peeking into the room, the sight before him was one he knew he would remember.

Parker, truly his father's son, had maneuvered his way into the woman's arms, hugging her for all his worth. Bones couldn't seem to focus on anything but the doorway leading out to the balcony. Booth followed her gaze, and anger surged through him at the sight of hastily shoved curtains, and an obviously hastily closed glass door.

Booth looked back to Bones, and he could now see the slight trembles that were overtaking her, as well as the cell phone lying in her limp hand. Parker was still hugging her, his cheek resting upon her shoulder, floppy hair covering her ear. One arm was wrapped loosely around his torso, holding just enough pressure to keep him there. The sight of Bones so shaken was enough to shake Booth to the core, and he prayed to God he never had to see this again, or if he did, to be able to be there when it happened, so she wouldn't be left alone for so long. If Booth had his way, she'd never be left alone again.

Booth didn't know what to do. The police had been called, fingerprints taken, a claim filed, and now there was nothing left to do but repair the damage. Booth was a man of action, and sitting around, waiting for someone else to fix this wasn't something he was keen to do. However, he had no choice but to accept it as reality: he could do nothing but be there for Bones. _His _Bones.

Booth later found out that what had shaken Bones so deeply was the fact that she had slept through the entire thing. She was so upset that she hadn't woken through such an occurrence that she had, once again, questioned her abilities as a parent. If she slept through someone almost sneaking into her bedroom, and then her living room, would she sleep through something similar with her child in the house? Would she be able to stand it if something like this happened again, and she had no knowledge about it until after the fact?

Reassuring her, Booth calmed her fears. Rational though they were, Booth had faith in his Bones. He knew that she would not let anything happen to their child, just as she knew he would never let anything happen to any member of their family.

That night, Bones was visibly apprehensive to return to her apartment. At Parker's insistence, all three went back to her apartment, Parker's belongings in hand, and stayed there. Parker had told his Dad that he wanted Bones to know that just because something bad happened didn't mean that it would be bad to stay there. Proud of his son, Booth agreed and presented the idea to Bones. Reluctant at first, she quickly caved to the double-team effort of the devastating Booth charm smile, which had been passed from Hank to Booth, and then onto Parker. Booth knew she couldn't resist the smile, especially when ganged up on, and had no shame in using it to get what he desired - Bones to feel safe in her home once again. While she had trouble falling asleep at first, staying up well into the night, once asleep, she slept the sleep of the truly exhausted. Booth joined her soon after, having stayed awake a few minutes longer to ensure she would stay asleep. Satisfied that she truly was asleep, Booth drifted into blissful blackness.

The next morning, the trio went to the diner for breakfast, and set about finding what insurance would cover, and for how much. With Bones' bank account being what it was, insurance was no problem. She had had the sense to insure her belongings, so everything would be replaced. That having been done, the three purchased new locks for the balcony doors, as well as a top-of-the-line security system that could be installed in the apartment, then reinstalled in their house, and returned to Bones' apartment to fix the doors, clean the glass, and mop the floors. Bones cleaned the floor, Booth fixed the doors, and Parker was handed the responsibility of cleaning the handprints off the glass, after Bones had taken a set for herself to analyze at the Jeffersonian.

The apartment was restored to its previous condition, and all three went into the bedroom and sprawled across the bed, the rightness of such an action seeping into their very souls. Booth couldn't help but think that, in spite of the burglary that occurred, this was just one more way that brought all three - soon to be four - of them closer together as a family. The thought made Booth smile.

**A/N: I actually had started writing a companion piece to **_**Cravings,**_** and I probably will sometime soon. However, this happened to me just two days ago, and I thought this might be a good way to help me get past it.**

**Again, thank you to everyone who read what I pour out - you have no idea of the warmth I feel when I see more and more of you are reading. Thank you, as well, to those who take the time to leave little notes - without you, I don't think I'd be able to write as well as I like to believe I am. : )**


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